1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to an arrangement for connecting discrete circuit packages for burn-in in an automatic burn-in environmental system requiring a large number of connections to a burn-in board using standard connectors and environmental chambers.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Typical automatic burn-in and environmental systems are manufactured by Micro Control Company, the assignee of the present application, having an office at 7956 Main Street N.E., Minneapolis, Minn. 55432. An existing system is described in Micro Control Company Publication No. 990078, which shows a typical environmental chamber and describes various specifications for driver/receiver boards utilizing existing 128 contact card edge connectors between the driver/receiver boards and the "burn-in boards" that are utilized for supporting or mounting the digital devices to be tested.
Additionally, various environmental chamber test equipment has been advanced. For example, a large burn-in system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,726, which discloses a large rack installation. This patent explains typical types of tests that are conducted.
Donze et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,471, shows a card connector arrangement that includes a principal board 11, and a pair of card planes 12 for removable connection with the principal board. This assembly is not used for burn-in, and does not have the unique features of the present invention which provides a parallel connecting arrangement for use with existing card edge connectors to increase the number of connections that can be made to a single burn-in board simply and at low cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,616 shows testing equipment for electronic components, that has a type of an interconnecting board or span board between the burn-in boards and driver boards. The burn-in boards are shown at 12, and the driver boards are shown at 13, and a printed wire board 15 that has a plane that is perpendicular to the planes of the driver boards and burn-in boards carries paired spaced connectors or jacks 16 and 17. The paired spaced jacks are connected by conductor pins 20. This is therefore a transition board to carry the connections between the driver board and the burn-in boards in an environmental chamber in which the burn-in boards are mounted.
A modular, dynamic burn-in apparatus of typical design is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,620, which discloses a rack that goes into a large environmental chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,054 to Alexander et al. shows a test point extender for circuit boards that has a wraparound sheet that folds around a circuit board so a fold line of the sheet as at one edge of the circuit board and both ends of the folded sheet are at the opposite edge of the circuit board. The sheet has conductors that engage contacts on the one end of the board (where the fold is) and which carry electrical signals back to the connectors on the wraparound sheet at the other end of the circuit board from the test connections. This is for making the normal connections to a circuit board at an opposite end of the board from the contacts on the board.
Additional examples of support devices and testing apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,132,948; 4,514,786; and 4,516,071.
The abstract of German Publication No. 2811775 briefly describes a testing device for printed circuits which uses test probes.
A typical environmental chamber is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,317, which illustrates a typical slotted wall through which ends of burn-in boards pass for test connections on the exterior of the environmental chamber.